Luvo Manyonga breaks Diamond League record in Shanghai

Olympic long jump medallist is among athletes to impress in China, while Noah Lyles and Elaine Thompson storm to sprint success

After breaking the meeting record with his very first leap of the Shanghai Diamond League, Luvo Manyonga soared out even further to break the overall Diamond League long jump record on Saturday.

The South African Olympic silver medallist has an African record PB of 8.65m from April to his name and he came close to that mark in China, leaping 8.61m in the final round. His jump from the first round was 8.48m, while the 26-year-old also recorded 8.49m in the third round but later explained how he had hoped to jump even further.

“I am pleased to win again,” said Manyonga. “My success has been down to hard work, training, dedication and commitment. I hope now to just go on and win everything I can this season.

“The track was really fast and that made it difficult,” he added. “I did a few fouls and that was a distraction. I didn’t get the distance today I wanted as I was looking for 8.80m, but I know it will come.”

China’s Gao Xinglong was second with 8.22m, while USA’s Olympic champion Jeff Henderson was sixth with a best of 8.03m.

World under-20 100m champion Noah Lyles had the 200m race of his life in Shanghai as he went sub-20 seconds for the first time, clocking 19.90 (-0.4m/sec) to equal the world-leading time. The 19-year-old, who turns 20 in July, was strong off the bend and powered away from the rest of the field, beating his fellow American LaShawn Merritt, who clocked 20.27, and Britain’s Adam Gemili, who ran 20.35 for third in his first 200m of the season.

There was another storming run by Jamaica’s double Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson in the 100m as she clocked 10.78 (-0.3m/sec) after a particularly powerful second half of the race. Well clear, she beat USA’s Olympic silver medallist Tori Bowie with 11.04.

Kenya’s Olympic silver medallist Hellen Obiri moved up two spots to sixth on the world 5000m all-time list after running a world-leading 14:22.47 to win by more than nine seconds. Ethiopians Senbere Teferi and Letesenbet Gidey were second and third respectively, with 19-year-old Gidey, the two-time world under-20 cross country champion, clocking a personal best of 14:36.84.

After a 58.43 last lap, Kenya’s Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon stormed to victory in the 1500m, clocking a world-leading 3:59.22 ahead of Ethiopians Dawit Seyaum and Besu Sado with times of 4:00.52 and 4:03.10 respectively. Britain’s Jenny Meadows, again on pacemaking duty, had led the field through 400m in 1:05.57 and 800m in 2:11.44.

Kenya’s world under-20 champion Kipyegon Bett was on top in the 800m. The 19-year-old’s 1:44.70 saw him secure a clear win, with world record-holder David Rudisha fourth in 1:45.36.

“This race shows me where I am at and it is something to build on,” said Rudisha. “I hope to put some things in place to improve for my next race.”

USA’s Bershawn Jackson, who has announced his plans to retire at the end of this season, secured a dominant 400m hurdles victory with a meeting record-breaking time. The 34-year-old American, who holds the overall Diamond League record in the event with his 47.62 from Lausanne in 2010, clocked 48.63 in Shanghai to beat South Africa’s LJ van Zyl with 49.35.

Another meeting record was broken in the women’s 3000m steeplechase as Bahrain’s world record-holder Ruth Jebet returned to winning ways after her third place finish at the Diamond League meeting in Doha. Clocking 9:04.78 she beat Kenya’s world champion and Olympic silver medallist Hyvin Kiyeng Jepkemoi, who had run 9:00.12 to win in Doha. Her 9:06.72 held off recent world under-20 record-breaker Celliphine Chespol with 9:07.08.

Jamaica’s Olympic champion Omar McLeod won the battle for the line in the 110m hurdles, clocking 13.09 ahead of Orlando Ortega’s 13.15. On his return to Diamond League competition, Sergey Shubenkov ran 13.35 for fifth. There was a world-leading time in the women’s 400m as Bahamas’ Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo clocked 49.77 ahead of USA’s Natasha Hastings with 50.74. Britain’s Anyika Onuora placed 9th in 53.98.

Home favourite Lijiao Gong led the women’s shot put from start to finish and eventually secured the win with 19.46m after saving her best throw for last. USA’s Daniella Bunch placed second with 18.98m.

After his runner-up finish in Doha, the high jump competition in Shanghai was short lived for Britain’s Robbie Grabarz after he failed to clear 2.24m and placed seventh. Victory was secured by Doha winner Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar after his 2.33m clearance, with China’s Wang Yu second with 2.30m.

The discus competition, which saw both male and female athletes in action as they threw in alternating rounds, was won by Belgium’s world silver medallist Philip Milanov with 64.94m and Croatia’s two-time Olympic champion Sandra Perkovic with 66.94m.

After there were two false starts in the non-Diamond League men’s 100m, China’s Bingtian Su delighted the crowds with his win in 10.09, beating a field including USA’s Mike Rodgers and Kim Collins of St Kitts and Nevis.

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